27 retired generals and 5 retired admirals delivered a letter to Congress today supporting the closure of Gitmo and decrying Republican fear-mongering over trying Khalid Sheik Mohammed in New York.
We have watched with disappointment efforts to engender fear among the American people about the prospect of bringing suspected terrorists to the United States for trial. Our federal justice system has a proven track record of successfully prosecuting terrorists and incarcerating them safely in our prisons. Our courts have convicted 195 terrorists since 9/11. Meanwhile, there have been only three successful prosecutions of terrorists by military commissions over that same period; two of those found guilty were released in less than a year. Those convicted in our federal courts, including many al Qaeda terrorists, are serving long sentences in federal prisons. The highly respected American Correctional Association, the nation’s largest corrections organization, in a recently passed resolution assured the American public they "would be safe from harm and free from danger should any detainees be transferred to a facility or facilities within the United States." Our prisons currently house more than 150 convicted terrorists and none has ever escaped.
The American people can have confidence that our judicial and penal institutions are strong and that our military, law enforcement and corrections professionals are second to none.
These men are part of Human Rights First. You can read more about it at their website, which includes a link to the PDF of the full letter.
Update: Rec List! Wow, thanks everyone. I'd like to recommend that everyone memorize these lines from the general's letter and repeat them to every pants pisser they meet:
Our courts have convicted 195 terrorists since 9/11. Meanwhile, there have been only three successful prosecutions of terrorists by military commissions over that same period; two of those found guilty were released in less than a year
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